


If The World Was Ending

by KelseaGrumbles



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse, F/M, Tags will be updated as more parts are released, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:22:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29976621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KelseaGrumbles/pseuds/KelseaGrumbles
Summary: Nine months after the events at the bakery, Unit Bravo are hit with some life changing news. I ask you the question; if the world was ending you’d come over, right?
Relationships: Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles), Female Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Kudos: 14





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first TWC AU series! A mini-series really but still. This idea came to me while listening to “If The World Was Ending” by JP Saxe and damn I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I’ve been working on this for almost 2 months (because juggling mom life and writing is hard) so I ask that you please be kind if my mommy brain is showing lol. A HUGE thank you to @oxjenayxo and @mepheesto for beta reading for me!

**Thursday, 3:18 PM**

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m afraid not, Agent,” Rebecca replied tersely. Her eyes narrowed in on the Specialist Agent, brows crinkling with something Mason had grown accustomed to over the past nine months. “And I don’t expect any further outbursts.”

Mason simply nodded, his lips curving into a sneer before shoving a cigarette into his mouth.

“How long has the agency known about this?” Nate asked, his words laced with worry.

Mason watched as Agent Kouris shifted slightly in her seat, fingers running delicately through her already perfectly sculpted hair. His gaze never wavered from her, even through the cloud of smoke that lingered in front of him.

“Two weeks,” she finally replied.

There was a sharp inhale of breath from Nate and Felix, followed by the resounding echo of Mason’s scoff.

“Two weeks?” Mason growled, cigarette dangling dangerously from his lips.

“Mason,” Adam’s warning tone did nothing to faze the other vampire.

“You’ve known for two weeks and you’re just now telling us? Less than two days until it happens? What the hell, Rebe-”

“That’s enough!”

In a flash Adam was standing directly in front of Mason, his icy green eyes glaring in on the younger vampire. Mason didn’t even flinch, though he stopped speaking and finally brought his gaze away from Rebecca to the Commanding Agent. Neither man stood down, their tense stances nearly mirroring each other.

The room grew quiet, except for the buzzing fluorescent bulbs above, the howling of the wind outside and the thrumming of four hearts from the other people in the room.

Finally, a not-so-subtle cough brought the two of them back to the room they were in. Breaking eye contact, they both turned their heads to look at Rebecca who was now standing from her seat at the head of the conference table.

“If you two are quite done, we have other, more pressing matters to deal with.”

There was a beat of silence before Adam stepped away from Mason and made his way back over to the window. Mason didn’t move, his eyes scanning the room before shifting to lean against his usual spot on the wall.

Once the room had settled, Rebecca again took her seat and opened up the manila folder that sat in front of her. “Now then, to address all of your concerns,” she started, eyes barely glancing over to Mason before quickly returning to the papers in front of her. “This information was strictly classified until we had all the facts.”

Mason rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

“Now that our teams have confirmed all the feedback from the NASA division and our satellites,” Agent Kouris continued, “We have determined that this is, indeed, real. And we are now taking the necessary steps to ensure the agency and those…” she paused, eyes closing for just a second too long to be considered a blink. “Those that are important to the agency are taken care of.”

Mason didn’t need any further explanation than that to understand what Agent Kouris meant.

From the corner of his eye, Mason could see Felix shift in his seat, his legs that had been previously hanging off the side now resting down on the ground in front of him. His arms came up to the tabletop as he laced his fingers together.

“So, what are we supposed to do now?” The slight shake in Felix’s voice let Mason know how serious all of this was. “You mentioned before there was a mission. Is that still true?”

Agent Kouris closed the folder in front of her before looking up. She stared out across the room, making eye contact with all four agents before letting out a heavy breath.

“Yes, Agent Hauville, there is still a mission,” she replied, the words sounding heavy. “I need you to get my daughter and bring her to the agency’s bunker.”

All eyes seemed to snap to Mason at that moment. He bristled at the attention and quickly looked away from his team. He knew this was coming, could tell the moment that Agent Kouris walked into the warehouse that something was wrong. And that all signs pointed to Athena.

The same Athena who wanted something complicated. The same Athena who lived in Mason’s head more than she should. The same Athena who ran out of a bakery in tears because he had been confused and wasn’t thinking.

The same Athena who walked into the warehouse one day nine months ago - a day when Mason hadn’t been there - and told Adam and her mother that she would no longer be working for the Agency or with Unit Bravo.

And that was the last time the team had even talked to her. She had made it clear that none of them were to contact her unless something urgent happened with the bounty - and thank goodness nothing had. She turned in her key card, signed the Agency’s non-disclosure agreement and went on her way.

So Mason had been miserable. For a vampire who had lived nearly 100 years - where years seemed to blink by in mere seconds - the past nine months had been the longest, most excruciating moments of his life. They had been filled with dread, anger, and most of all, loneliness.

“Understood, Agent Kouris. We will not fail you.”

The sound of Adam speaking brought Mason out of his thoughts. There was a nod from Rebecca before she stood up and swiftly walked across the conference room. Just before she closed the door, she turned her head to speak again. “You have until 2:00 AM Saturday to have her in that bunker and safe.” And then she was gone.

Several long, quiet minutes passed before anyone spoke again. 

“So, what, uh, what does this mean?” Felix asked, his usual animated self completely subdued. His eyes shifted from Mason to Adam - who were both silent - before settling on Nate.

With a sigh and a frown, Nate ducked his head to stare at the floor before answering. “It means the world as we know it will end.”

~~~~~

**Thursday, 6:22 PM**

Unit Bravo had spent the afternoon quickly packing their belongings before loading up in one of the Agency’s SUVs and heading into town. Packing had hit Nate the hardest. He spent the majority of his time in the library while the others busied themselves in their rooms.

Mason had never quite understood Nate’s obsession with the old tomes. And frankly, he didn’t really care to. Packing his small duffle bag had been simple enough, only throwing in a few sets of clothes and all the smokes he could fit.

The drive into town seemed to drag on. The backseat of the moderately sized SUV was somehow smaller than normal and even though Felix was uncharacteristically silent, he was still annoying Mason. No amount of nicotine could comfort him as they pulled into the detective’s apartment parking lot.

“We get in, get the Detective packed and we get out, understood?”

The rest of Unit Bravo nodded in understanding to their Commanding Agent. Seconds later, the group was walking up the stairs towards her apartment.

Mason’s chest felt tight. Up until this moment, he had felt fine, surprising given recent news. But now they were in Athena’s apartment building, almost to her door. And it had been nine months since he had seen her, spoken to her, smelled her, touched her. _Kissed her._

Why were his palms sweaty?

_Knock knock knock._

Mason shouldn’t be here. He should not be here.

_“Just a minute.”_

The distant sound of footsteps - and a familiar, soothing heartbeat - rang through his ears, followed by the click of a lock. Mason briefly wondered how quickly his vampire speed could lead him away, but the door was opening and his feet were firmly planted to the floor and there was nothing he could do and-

And there she was.

Her long, strawberry blonde hair was twisted up into a messy bun. Her face was clean and clear of the day’s makeup. She must have just returned home because she was still in her jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

Detective Athena Kouris still looked as good as the first day Unit Bravo had marched into her office all that time ago. Still looked as beautiful as Mason remembered. Still as stunning as she appeared in his dreams.

_Dammit_.

The look of shock on her face made him wince.

“Oh.”

_Oh._

Nine months later and the first word to leave her lips and enter his mind was ‘oh.’

“Detective,” Adam greeted.

“Hey, guys…” It was that moment when their eyes locked on to one another, causing her voice to trail off. Mason could hear the skip and uptick of her heart. He didn’t miss the slight tremble of her lips as she pursed them together and he surely took notice in how quickly she looked away from him. “What, uh, what can I do for you?”

Nate took a small step forward, a gentle smile gracing his lips. “It’s good to see you, Athena. Would it be alright if we came in?”

There was a flash of doubt and hesitation across her face before she put on a forced smile and nodded her head. A moment later the four vampires stood in the small apartment, taking up the old but familiar spots they used to reside back when they were on “babysitting duty,” as the detective so lovingly called it.

“So,” Athena began as she took a seat in the dark, brown accent chair. “I assume you weren’t just all in the neighborhood?”

There was a chuckle from Felix and Mason had to fight the urge to throw him out the window. He needed a cigarette. 

“No, that is not why we are here,” Adam said, his body tense.

When neither Athena nor Adam continued, Nate cleared his throat and started to speak. “We - Rebecca and the Agency - have found out a troubling bit of news,” he began, voice calm yet somber and Mason watched as Athena pulled her legs up onto the seat with her, knees tucked against her chest so her chin could rest atop them. This was common, something she had always done back when they were a team. 

“I’m honestly not even sure where to begin,” Nate continued, turning back to look at their leader.

Mason’s gaze on the detective never wavered as he followed her attention shift from Nate to Adam. All his focus was on her as Adam began to fill her in on the news the team had received only hours ago. He watched as her shoulders tensed, bunching up to her ears. Her arms that were wrapped tightly around her legs squeezed even tighter. He watched as the familiar look of doubt crept onto her face - just like the one she had the day she found out about supernaturals. But then her face morphed into something he absolutely dreaded.

Fear.

“...and we have approximately 31 hours until it happens so if you could gather a few things, then we will all be on our way.”

The moment Adam was done with his explanation the room dropped into a deep silence. The only sound to resonate in the vampire’s ears was the distinct heartbeat which was now beating a mile a minute. And to be honest, he was not doing any better.

After a few more moments of letting things settle in, Athena finally cleared her throat. “So you’re telling me that tomorrow night a flaming ball of space matter is going to collide with Earth?”

The four vampires nodded their heads.

“And there are agency bunkers around the world where humans and supernaturals can go to be protected?” she continued.

They nodded again.

“And my mother wants you to bring me to the bunker so I am safe?”

“Yes,” Nate confirmed. “That’s all correct.”

Mason could see the sullen frown on her lips even as she tried to use her knees to block it. He could hear the somber tone in her voice when she spoke. It made his lungs ache and his feet unsteady.

“But,” Athena began. “What about everyone else? What about the people of Wayhaven?”

The group of vampires exchanged glances between one another before looking back at the detective.

“Our mission is to bring you back,” Adam stated. “And only you.”

The speed at which Athena bolted up from her seat to stand in the center of the living was jarring. The group of vampires flinched at the movement and Mason observed as her hands balled into fists.

“Are you fucking serious?” she said, voice quaking slightly. Mason couldn’t even remember a time she had sounded so angry. “You’re telling me that the agency’s big, fancy bunker can’t hold any more people?”

“That’s not what-”

“No,” Athena yelled, effectively cutting off the commanding agent. “Unless the next words out of your mouth are that you can save this town, I don’t want to hear what any of you have to say.”

“Athena…” Nate said hesitantly. When she didn’t immediately snap at him, he continued. “I know this is hard to hear and I wish we could do more… but we _have_ to go.”

When she didn’t immediately speak, Felix cleared his throat. “Can I help you pack?” He offered, his tone the most subdued that Mason had ever heard.

Athena looked around the room, making eye-contact with each vampire. The moment her gaze fell on Mason he felt his skin crawl and the hair on his arms stand on end. Then, with a frown, she looked away.

“I’m not going.”


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm here, sweetheart."

**Thursday, 7:20 PM**

“Detective Kouris, this is foolish.”

“Actually, _Commanding Agent du Mortain_ , it’s not.”

Athena could almost feel the anger rolling off of Adam as the two argued. They had spent the last 20 minutes going back and forth about her decision while the rest of Unit Bravo remained silent.

Well, mostly silent. There had been a low chuckle from Felix after Athena compared Adam to a brick wall, but other than that there had been silence from the other vampires. Though there had been one in particular that she secretly hoped would chime in at some point.

But that thought had vacated her mind as quickly as it had entered. She should have been mad at Mason. She was mad at him. She had been hurt and humiliated and left heartbroken. Which is why she decided to leave Unit Bravo and the Agency - only complying with their NDA and private meetings with Rebecca about the bounty.

When Mason had made those comments to Haley, Athena felt something inside shatter. She had always been the kind of person to think with her heart instead of her head and now she was paying the price. So leaving the team - leaving him - was the only option imaginable.

“You’ll be killed, detective. Do you not understand that?” Adam said, his voice even though the edge on his tone was evident.

“I do,” Athena replied. “And so will the rest of the world. The rest of Wayhaven. My town, my _friends_. And they have no idea it’s going to happen.” Athena paused, turning her back away from the group as she wiped at her eyes. When she spoke again her voice was barely above a whisper. “I will not hide in safety knowing my friends died.”

“You do not get to make that decision,” Adam replied quickly.

“Oh shut it.”

Athena turned back to the group and focused her attention to the person who just spoke - Mason - who now stood in the center of the living room, only a few feet from her. She noticed the other vampires in the room were also staring at him.

“Mason…” Nate began before Adam quickly held up a hand to silence his friend.

“You can’t force her to do anything,” Mason continued, one hand buried deep into his pocket while the other motioned wildly. “This is her home. We can’t expect her to just leave it and be okay with that.”

When her light brown eyes met his stormy grey, she nearly stopped breathing at the sincerity that she saw in them. Even when he looked away to stare back at the commanding agent, her gaze never left him.

“Mason, we have orders,” Adam said curtly.

“I’m aware,” Mason responded. “But if the world is about to become some uninhabitable wasteland, I think some orders can be ignored.”

Athena wasn’t sure what came over her. After months of agonizing heartache and immeasurable loneliness, something inside her chest bloomed as Mason spoke out for her. She wasn’t sure when her body moved but within seconds she was standing at Mason’s side, their arms slightly brushing. She could more so feel than see the way his body tensed but immediately relaxed as their skin came into contact.

He didn’t fully face her, but she saw him glance at her from the corner of his eyes. “Thanks,” she whispered. Her voice was so low that any normal human would be unable to hear.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” he replied, his body still not fully facing her.

“Well then,” Nate began as he stood up from the couch. “I think that settles that.”

Adam didn’t speak, instead turning from the group to head towards the door. Nate was next to move. He made his way over to Athena with a sullen smile before giving her a warm hug.

“Here’s the address, should you change your mind,” he said, handing her a piece of paper before turning to follow Adam.

Felix was next and Athena could feel the tears already threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Don’t go getting soft on me now,” the young vampire chided, though the smile he wore was strained.

Athena rushed forward, wrapping her arms tight around him. She felt his body shake with a silent sob, causing her to let her tears run freely. She knew this part would be the hardest. Not spending time with Felix had been miserable and now she was saying goodbye. Forever.

When the two pulled away, Athena furiously wiped at her face, trying to clear away any remaining tears. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she finally said with a slight laugh. They embraced again before Felix made his way to the exit, following the elder vampires.

And then there was one.

Athena turned around to where Mason had slinked back into one of the corners of the room. His hands were in his pockets but he stood notably tall instead of his usual slouch.

No words were exchanged for a moment, the two merely glancing at one another before Mason finally cleared his throat.

“I think I owe you an apology,” he said, voice neutral though his eyes were kind.

“You think?” Athena questioned. There was a slight edge to her voice though any trace of malice was not present.

Mason frowned before running a hand through his dark hair. “I know. I’m real sorry, Athena. For what I said back then.”

Athena’s frown mirrored his. The tightness she felt deep in her chest made her look away from his intense stare. “It’s okay,” she said dismissively with a wave of her hand.

In less than a second, he was in front of her, his face mere inches from hers.

“No, it’s _not_ okay,” he began. “I fucked up. And I _hurt_ you, Athena. I hurt the only person I ever cared about and it ruined absolutely everything.”

She was silent as his words sunk in, her heart beating so rapidly that she was sure any supernatural in a twelve-block radius could hear. And from the close proximity, she swore she could hear his, too.

And he was so close, closer than they’d been in nine months. She could see every beautiful freckle that dotted his face. Could see his long, dark lashes as they fluttered over piercing grey eyes. Could see the stubble that ran along his jaw - had he grown it out?

And then the words finally registered.

“Say it again?”

Mason’s brows furrowed. “Uh, I fucked up? I ruined everything?”

“No,” she interjected. “The other part. I’m the only person…”

“...I’ve ever cared about,” he finished.

“And you mean that?”

He nodded his head. “Yeah. And I’m so sorry that I was too late.”

Athena watched as his hand traveled up from his side before hovering just by her head. His silent question was answered when she leaned into his hand and she nearly combusted when his skin met hers. Oh how she had longed for his touch. His hand rested gently against her face, palm cupping her jaw as his thumb traced slowly along her cheek. It was then that she realized she was crying.

“Mason,” she sighed, her eyes closing.

Then as soon as she was getting used to the feel of him again, he was gone. She opened her eyes to find him already staring into hers, hand shoved back into his pocket. Then, without a word, he stepped away and made his way to the door, stepping outside to join the rest of his team and leaving her all alone.

~~~~~

**Thursday, 7:48 PM**

Mason followed behind the rest of Unit Bravo as they made their way down the apartment stairs. As they walked out the door he couldn’t help but look up at the detective’s window. A deep, harboring feeling of regret coursed through him, making his body ache. And then before he knew it he was standing still, frozen in the middle of the dark parking lot.

“Mason?” Felix called from across the lot. “Everything alright?”

Mason glanced back at his unit, the three members he’d known for so long. The people that helped save him. People he knew he would never forget. And from the expressions that Adam and Nate gave him, he knew that they would never forget him either.

“Yeah,” he said with a small smirk. “We’ll be alright.”

~~~~~

**Thursday, 7:55 PM**

Athena sat motionless on her couch, her eyes staring at the nothingness of her apartment. She felt cold, numb, and utterly alone. Her thoughts were clouded and her gaze was unfocused.

And then there was a knock.

Shaking her head to clear her mind and steady her vision, she stood slowly before making her way to the apartment door. When she opened it she nearly broke down further into tears. Before she could even register what she saw in front of her, the person on the other side of the open doorway was speaking.

“I go where you go, sweetheart.”

~~~~~

**Thursday, 9:14 PM**

As the remaining members of Unit Bravo made their way into the Agency’s underground bunker, a heavy silence surrounded the group. Just like the silence that filled the SUV on their drive there.

Adam pushed open the large iron doors that led into the open common room of the bunker. His gaze flicked around the room where many other Agency members and their families had gathered. Then his eyes landed on a familiar figure who stood talking with another group of agents.

The three vampires didn’t speak as they walked across the room and for the first time in a long time, Adam felt nervous. Defeated.

“Agent Kouris,” the commanding agent said after clearing his throat.

Rebecca excused herself, then turned around to face her team. There was a small smile of relief on her face which slowly fell away as her eyes traveled over her unit.

“Adam,” she greeted hesitantly. “Where’s… where’s Athena and Mason? Please do not tell me they wandered off alone.”

There was an unamused grimace on her face and Adam could feel the nervousness rolling off Nate and Felix behind him.

Adam shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rebecca,” he started, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “I’m afraid... I’m afraid we have failed you.”

~~~~~

**Thursday, 9:30 PM**

Mason wasn’t sure how Athena was going to react when he showed back up outside her door. He definitely wasn’t expecting her to close it immediately in his face. And he especially didn’t expect the “fuck” he heard on the other side before the door swung open again, and the relief he felt when he looked into her golden eyes was the best feeling he’d had in a long time.

And now, over an hour later the two stood together in her small living room. Mason leaned against a side table as Athena busied herself by cleaning nearly every inch of furniture in the room. It was awkward and the silence was stifling and Mason wished he had thought to grab the pack of cigarettes he’d left in the SUV.

He wasn’t sure if Athena had finally grown tired of the quiet or if the pointless cleaning had finally finished, but she eventually sat down on the couch and cleared her throat to speak. “What are you doing here, Mason?”

That was fair. 

“I already told you,” he replied, hoping his voice came out more calm than his nerves seemed to be. “I go where you go. And if this is where you want to be, then I’m here. I’m in and I’m not going anywhere.”

Mason hadn’t even realized he had moved and was kneeling in front of her.

“Mason,” she exhaled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

He was hesitant as he reached for her hand, his fingers barely ghosting over her skin. He looked for a sign - a nod, a shake, _something_ to let him know she was okay with the touch - and it came as she moved her fingers to interlock with his.

“Stay.”

It was short and simple but so full of meaning. And as Mason reached up to cup her cheek, he smiled. A real, genuine smile. A smile that hadn’t graced his lips in over nine months.

“I’m here, sweetheart.”


End file.
